04.02.2025
The Dalmore: A stag, a King, a Nose and a Bodega
The Dalmore : un héritage de whisky écossais raffiné
Dalmore is a globally renowned Scotch Whisky brand due to many reasons like the Iconic stag logo, the heavy usage of sherry casks and house-style velvety and fruity profile. This distillery of the highlands has captivated the interest of a vast portion of Whisky lovers with its style, its symbolism and the allure of a vintage elegant Scotland filled with fireplaces, chesterfield couches, gaming drives and untamed nature.
But The Dalmore is much much more.
To understand a distillery with such history and impact we must go beyond the perceived image and analyze carefully its heritage, characters and output.
A legacy rooted in History
Let’s start with where: Alness, 32km north of Inverness in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. Established in 1839 by Alexander Matheson who had made his fortune as a partner in Jardine Matheson the trading firm which took over from the East India Company and which, by that time, was controlling exports of opium trade into China.
The strong imprint of the Dalmore history begins when Andrew and Charles Mackenzie purchase the distillery in 1867 with the introduction of the iconic 12-point stag emblem. The reason for this decision had less to do with style and more to do with heritage and a story dating back to 1263 when the emblem was bestowed upon Colin of Kintail, the first chieftain of Clan Mackenzie, after he saved the life of King Alexander III of Scotland from the fury of a charging stag.
The distillery, following the blueprint history of many of its peers and similar to the history of many long-standing companies around the world, has seen several ups and downs.
The most infamous one happening in 1971 when the British Royal Navy began to use the firth (narrow coastal inlet) as a site for the production of deep-se mines which resulted, in 1920 with the destruction of the distillery by an explosion and the fire resulted from a mine detonation accident, In 1960, the distillery main customer, Whyte & Mackay takes control of the distillery and holds it until now.
The Dalmore’s unique craft
The Dalmore distillery regime is very unique, the distinctive design of the distillery’s stills produces a one-of-a-kind new make spirit, bold and fruity making it ideal for extended, intricate maturation. This gives Dalmore’s whisky makers the ability to ensure every cask reaches its peak quality.
The Dalmore is also home to one of the most iconic Whisky characters in the world, Richard “the nose” Paterson. Born in 1949, the nose is considered and revered as one of the most important blenders in the Scottish Whisky industry. In 1970 he joined Whyte & Mackay becoming their master blender in 1975, consequentially curating and shaping the output and profile of several Whyte & Mackay malts together with Jura, Tamnavulin, Fettercairn and obviously the Dalmore.
The Dalmore and González Byass
The Dalmore history is also shaped by a special relationship with one of the most renowned Spanish Sherry bodegas: Gonzalo Byass. Many are the cask types where this robust distillate matures in but the two main players are undoubtably ex-Bourbon American white oak casks and indeed both bodega and seasoned Gobzalo Byass Europan sherry oak casks from Jerez de la Frontera (including the very famous Matusalem Oloroso.)
Who drinks Dalmore?
Dalmore is a versatile Scotch Whisky, its core range with lower ABV compared with some of its peers is extremely suitable for customer in search of a very enjoyable and light yet flavorful pour.
The Dalmore as a Collector’s Dream
Dalmore sports a series of highly collectible releases, perfect for both private collections and investments. The most famous examples are the Dalmore decades set that sold for USD $1.1 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong and “the Paterson collection”, sold in 2017 for USD $1.3 million.
Many other special releases are currently being auctioned, collected and enjoyed around the world.
An Exclusive Experience
One of which I had the pleasure to enjoy myself few days ago at a very exclusive and intimate event organized by Whyte & Mackay with the German importer Mack & Schühle.
Hosted by the dynamic duo composted by Gia-Phong Ngo and Philipp Jubileum in the stunning Hotel De Rome in Berlin this event raised the bar for what to expect in 2025.
The incredibly limited release (only 1 set for Germany) was the Dalmore Cask curation Series Port edition 2024 a trio of Single Cask Single Malts celebrating The Dalmore's long-standing partnership with the famous winemakers of Portugal, Grahams Port.
Second chapter of the cask curation series this set is limited to 150 exemplars worldwide and it’s composed by 3 single casks, all finished (aka refined for the last part of the maturation) in Port casks.
The set is composed by:
- The 27yo (49,3%), matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Cask No.2 a 1997 Single Harvest Tawny port.
My personal notes: Fresh and juicy, an incredible balance between the ex-bourbon and the port maturation, the wood is unperceived but an explosive fruitiness made of figs, citrus and even tropical dried fruits meets a velvety honey, nutty and toasted note, followed by a hint of ginger and spice.
- The 30yo (43,9%), matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks and finished in Cask No.3, a 1994 Single harvest Tawny Port cask.
My personal notes: Creamier compared with the 1997, syrupier, with caramelized sugar, perhaps Crème caramel, dried orange and dark honey. More orange follows on the palate, with dark chocolate, Plums bramble and dried ginger.
- Dalmore 43 Years Old (41,8%), matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Cask No.1 a 1952 Single Harvest Tawny Port cask.
My personal notes: “heaven, I’m in heaven”, an avalanche of notes that could take a full article to describe. Tropical fruits, licorice, Demerara sugar, caramelized almonds, cherries marmalade and light spice. Tobacco, sticky toffee pudding and velvety dark chocolate.
Three masterpieces of port maturation, wood non perceived, ABV (alcohol by volume) on point and an evolution of intensity, port influence and the substantial proof of the immense results that can be reached when incredible casks meet long maturation and careful selection.
Looking ahead
If this is the begin of my 2025 Whisky season, I can’t wait to go further.
Deepening my knowledge of the Dalmore distillery craft, history and products ignited the interesting in following closely the next steps of the stag in its continuous evolution to the stardom of Whisky making.
Sláinte.
About the author
Davide Ansalone
Davide Ansalone, Indie bottler, photographer, influencer, tasting host and marketing campaigns manager. Davide aka Whisky Munich navigates the deep seas of the whisky worlds since 2010, exploring this incredible world at 360°.